Ocular Worried

Jun 8, 2009

Hello Dr Bob.

I had a minimum risk exposure (oral receptive) recently. About 6 weeks later I have developed conjunctivitis. I read the archives and found out that this is not a very common symptom during ARS. Anyway... I am totally freaked out now... to make things worse, one of my relatives is suffering from the very same kind of conjunctivitis.

I really value your opinion Dr Bob... hope you can help me out here... I know you recieve hundreds of mails every day but im surely hoping you can answer... What should i do? should i get tested? should i tell my relatives? maybe visis an specialist? Any advice you can give me would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help. It would be a pleasure to make a donation to your foundation. Hope you can forgive the terrible grammar

Response from Dr. Frascino

Hi,

Oral sex carries only a very slight risk for HIV acquisition. Developing conjunctivitis six weeks after a potential exposure is not worrisome for or even suggestive of HIV acute retroviral syndrome (ARS).

What should you do? Stop worrying!

Should you get tested? The main reason to consider testing would be to put your fears permanently to rest. A single HIV test at the three-month mark will provide you with a definitive result.

Should you tell your relatives? I see no reason to tell, unless you need some emotional support.

Should you visit a specialist? No, I see no reason for that.

Finally I should mention spring is the prime season for allergic conjunctivitis due to grass and other plant pollens. It is also possible you could have a bacterial conjunctivitis. Your general medical doctor (or ophthalmologist) should be able to help sort this out for you and treat this very common medical complaint.

Thank you for your donation to the Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation (www.concertedeffort.org). It's warmly appreciated.

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